Ice Cream in Winter
by kazuma85
Summary: Eren Jaeger, nineteen years old. There he was; a freshman of History and English literature on the second day of his university classes and he was already running late. M/M. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Ice Cream in Winter**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

xXx

* * *

"Fuck my life..." a brunet, green-eyed young man groaned.

Eren Jaeger, nineteen years old. There he was; a freshman of History and English literature on the second day of his university classes and he was already running late.

Waiting in line at Starbucks, he glared at the screen of his smartphone, which glared back at him with the mocking 8:07 digits. The class started at 8 a.m. sharp, or at least his professor had said so the day before. He could have _sworn_ that it was 7:40 just two minutes ago.

Tapping his Converse-covered foot impatiently, he stared at the back of the head of the person standing in front of him; a person who couldn't decide which coffee to pick for the past three minutes.

Eren huffed, trying to keep his nerves in check, figuring he was late anyway, so what difference could a minute or two (or twenty, judging by the person in front of him) make? At least, the University was just around the corner, which also explained the unnatural crowdedness. Were all these people as late as he was?

No. No one was as late as he was. And this? This was God saying '_Eff you Eren Jaeger, for having a caffeine addiction_'.

Eren heaved a martyr's sigh. '_Oh, and for being too lazy to make your own damn coffee in the morning. Sincerely, God._'

Or something like that.

So he spent another minute staring down at his dark green sneakers before it was finally his turn.

"Mocha latte... Uh, chocolate," he muttered, not being really accustomed to ordering at Starbucks. He checked his phone again, finding that it was now 8:10. He could always try to convince his professor to let it slide because of the academic quarter... Maybe.

Paying with loose change and grabbing his cup, Eren hurried out of the shop, figuring it could take him three more minutes to the building and one minute to the classroom.

And then there was this troublesome shoulder in his way which he didn't see until he ran right into it and nearly dropped his long awaited coffee.

"Hey, whoa," Eren danced a bit to avoid spilling, glancing at the owner of the said shoulder. "Watch it, kid."

The 'kid' turned around and gave him a homicidal glare; the steel blue eyes boring straight into his made him feel at level with the guy. Or shorter even.

"_Excuse _me?" Said the unexpectedly deep masculine voice that came from the mouth of an equally masculine, angular face.

Eren felt his jaw drop. Not every day did he see a grown man that was what, 160 centimeters short... Scratch that - tall? He really looked like a kid from behind, with that light grey hoodie and sweats, especially with the sports bag that looked similar to those of high school students.

"Uh, sorry?"

"Move," the guy pushed past him, obviously in a hurry as well.

Eren watched him disappear into the crowd and huffed. Whatever. He _was _a nice guy, but hell, he couldn't make everyone's day, especially when being glared at. He had more important things to do and places to be.

* * *

xXx

* * *

_8:14 and 37 seconds_

Practically falling through the classroom door, Eren scrambled in and hurried towards Armin and the seat that he had saved up for him.

"I'm sorry for being late," he mumbled and waited for the professor to say something, but the man only checked his watch and sniffed, continuing the lesson.

"You almost didn't make it," Armin whispered at him. "Where the heck were you?"

"Coffee," Eren showed the cup that was now sitting at his desk.

The blond rolled his eyes and shoved a paper in Eren's direction.

"What's this?"

"Attendance list. I didn't turn it back yet so you can add yourself."

"Thanks man," Eren grinned and scrawled his name down.

_'Primitive Society and Early Civilizations_', was the heading on the paper, with the date of October 2nd, 2013.

"So what's the first lesson," he asked Armin in a whisper.

"He talked about the syllabus and now the first thing we're gonna hear about are the archaeological methods of dating."

"Is that about how people dated in Paleolithic?" Eren snorted into his hand, causing a couple of people in front of him to turn and stare at him.

"You're such a moron," Armin sighed with a tiny smile. "I'll lend you my notes, but please let me listen now."

"Fine, fine," he calmed down a bit. It was all good; felt good. He had his coffee, he was wide awake and he managed to get to class without further complications. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

xXx

* * *

"I'm doing what now?!"

Mikasa, his beloved adoptive sister, gave an exasperated sigh.

"See, I told you he'd react this way," she said to the blond girl sitting between Eren and her. They both have waited for Eren at the nearby café after his classes.

"You knew about this diabolical plan?" Eren squawked at his, also beloved, girlfriend. "Annie, you know I can't dance!"

"Yeah, that's why dancing schools exist, to _teach _you," Annie explained.

Oh how nice.

"Sure but, what if I have no desire to learn?"

"You do."

Eh.

"Okay, wait," Mikasa interrupted. "We've found this dancing school that's close to your faculty _and_ it has a contract with the University so it counts as P.E. class, which is mandatory."

"Yea, I know that," Eren grumbled.

"So, instead of spending two hours a week in a smelly gym, you'll be dancing with your girlfriend!"

"But I don't wanna-" he began but then met Annie's gaze. "Oooo-kay..." He sipped on the orange juice he'd ordered.

It hadn't even been four months since he and Annie had gotten together, and she already had him leashed. Mikasa loved it of course, and the two had become nearly inseparable. So, if his girlfriend wasn't over at their house, Mikasa's best friend _was_, and that meant being under girl-watch almost 24-7.

And now dancing.

"I dare to assume you'll be joining us," Eren glared at his sister.

"Of course! I just need a victim. I mean a partner," she and Annie laughed.

"Come on, it'll be nice," Annie said with a rarely gentle tone, putting her small hand on top of his.

"Okay fine... But don't complain when I stomp on your foot. Because it's inevitable."

* * *

xXx

* * *

The word 'nervous' was an understatement.

Eren was positively twitchy and spooked. First, he really, _really_ wasn't made for dancing. Yes, he could sway and wiggle when he went out to a club, but _real_ dancing with _real_ steps? No, sir. Second, he was about to embarrass himself not only in front of his girlfriend (he believed she actually wanted him to, just for funsies), but before a bunch of people he didn't know and before the instructors... Who will then probably ask him something similar to '_Why the hell did you even come here?!_'

So yeah, spooked.

Mikasa had found her victim. It was Jean, of course. What that guy wouldn't do just to have an excuse to talk to her. But as far as Eren knew, Mikasa kind of liked him too, just enjoyed yanking his chain a bit too much. So she agreed to go on a date with Jean _if_ he went to the dance school with her.

And so, there he was, standing practically in a corner of a big dance studio, waiting for the class to start. It was a nice place, he had to admit.

The room was big and bright, and tastefully decorated in Latin-American style. One wall was fully covered with mirrors and on the opposite side of the room, in the corner was a big stereo and a shelf with numerous CD's stacked in heaps.

"It's so nice, I like it already," Mikasa beamed at Annie, who was in the process of tying the laces on her sneakers.

Someone cleared their throat and Eren turned to look at the tiny young woman with strawberry blond hair standing by the room entrance.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to our studio! My name is Petra, and my dancing partner Levi and I will be your instructors. We'll begin our first class in a few minutes." She smiled and got busy with tying her hair into a high pony tail.

Eren looked around for this Levi guy and while he did that, the Latino rhythm boomed from the speakers that were propped in the upper corners of the room. Everyone turned towards the stereo and there he was...

The guy from Starbucks.

The guy who he'd called 'kid' in his face.

And as Murphy's Law commands, Eren's new instructor stared right at him. There was a spark of recognition in his eyes and one thin eyebrow then arched, most likely dooming Eren for all the eternity.

Just great.

* * *

xXx

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**Ice Cream in Winter**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

xXx

* * *

'_One, two, cha-cha-cha, one, two... No, wait. Screw it!_'

Eren wanted to scream.

Fifteen minutes into the lesson and he'd had enough. When Levi and Petra showed the basic cha-cha step, it seemed okay. Kind of. But when his own feet had to move, Eren felt hopeless. By the time he put his left foot forward, he already had to move it and he would be late on 'cha-cha-cha' every single time. So he rushed it. And again it didn't work because he'd step into the first 'cha' too soon. It was frustrating.

They were still trying it out – every person for themselves – so at least he wasn't stomping on Annie's feet. She seemed to get it, though. Mikasa as well. Jean too; he was struggling, but he kept up. Dammit.

Eren was now certain that there was no one worse than him in that dancing class. Or anywhere.

And while thinking it was at least okay to be in the farthest corner and remain practically invisible, he didn't manage to escape his instructor's gaze.

Leaving Petra to lead the group by doing the steps in front of them so everyone could see, Levi walked over to Eren, looking down at his feet curiously.

"There's no need to rush it, _kid_."

Oh, great. That's what he needed; this man picking on him after the almost-fiasco at the Starbucks.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know you were..."

"Hm, what, an adult?"

Eren's mouth worked but no sound came out. He huffed and stopped following the group's motions.

"Jeez, calm down," Levi rolled his eyes. "It's not like I've heard it for the first time in my life." He smirked.

It seemed he wasn't _that_ bad, after all.

"So... Uh, what's your name?"

"Eren."

"Eren. Okay, why are you so nervous?" Levi asked before stepping next to him, turning so they both faced the same direction.

"Because I suck."

"It's your first class. What, did you think you'd be Fred Astaire after ten minutes?"

"Who?"

An eyebrow arched at him again and then Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. "You did _not_ just ask that."

"Okay, never mind. Look, I'm not here by choice," Eren admitted, somewhat ashamed. "My girlfriend and my sister kinda made me."

"Oh, you're one of those guys... I'm so sorry," Levi faked compassion. He flicked Eren's shoulder and gestured down at their feet. "Forget the beat for a moment. Let's just count. Do what I do."

Eren stared down while Levi counted and went over the steps. By the second time Levi started counting, he tried to follow and it actually worked.

"You're still not doing it right."

Okay, so it still didn't work.

"Don't take a full step," Levi explained. "Just put your foot out front and shift your weight. Don't stomp."

Wonderful, now he was stomping.

"It looks so easy when you do it," Eren complained, still concentrating on his feet.

"Maybe that's because I've been doing it for twenty years now."

"What," Eren nearly tripped over himself. "How old _are _you?!"

"Twenty-seven." He waved it off. "Forget that now, pay attention. One – shift your weight, put some hip action in it too. You don't wanna look like you have something lodged up your ass, right?"

Eren didn't have the time to respond to that.

"Two, shift your weight back, cha-cha-cha. From the beginning."

Sweat started to collect at his temples and it tickled him. But he was doing his best to follow Levi's moves, which were two times slower than the group and it still made him feel like a loser. To hell with it, no one was looking at him anyway.

"Hey, you did it," Levi suddenly informed him.

"Did what?"

"You did it right, airhead," the man smirked. "What caused it?"

"I stopped caring?"

"Finally," Levi sounded as if he was expecting that exact answer. "Let's try catching the beat now."

* * *

xXx

* * *

In the end, Eren had stepped on Annie's foot only once, so he was actually satisfied with the outcome. They did stop more often than the other pairs because of him, and he knew it annoyed her, but she didn't say anything.

"Would you show us some real dancing?" Someone asked the instructors when the class was finished.

The group scattered and people moved closer to the walls of the room, some leaning back, some sitting on the floor, leaving enough space for Levi and Petra to show them what it looked like after two decades of practicing.

Levi looked at Petra and quietly said something to her. She nodded and went to stand in the center of the room, while he walked over to the stereo and changed CD's.

Only the bass started and Eren couldn't even tell what was the song and if it was the cha-cha rhythm.

Suddenly, Petra started walking about, hands on her slowly swaying hips. She made a few figures in between the steps, smiling widely. It was a complete transformation from a sweet, quiet instructor into a foxy lady. And since she was wearing gym leggings and over them a flimsy skirt-like cloth, her movements were perfectly accentuated by the flowing fabric.

Eren couldn't help but stare, even as he felt Annie's glare on him.

Petra walked about a bit more while the initial beat lasted and it became clear that it was a rehearsed routine she and Levi were probably working on, or have worked on in the past.

Finally Levi moved from his spot by the stereo and went towards her, smirking a bit. Petra looked positively mischievous while strutting in his direction, when she suddenly stopped in place.

Levi made a quick turn and appeared in front of her as the music began for real. Eren immediately recognized it as "Unchain my heart" modified into cha-cha-cha, which was so cool.

As they began to dance, everyone stared. Eren's eyes darted from Petra to Levi, unable to decide who was the bigger thrill to look at. They were _perfect_. And their moves didn't resemble the beginners' cha-cha in any way. It was just... Flawless. And they were in sync as if they shared the same mind.

It was normal for a girl to know how to dance like that, but Levi was a surprise on his own. Yeah, he had to be good to be an instructor, but it was beyond Eren's expectations. To be honest, he didn't know what he expected in the first place. It was raw confidence in Levi. He _owned_ the floor, he twirled Petra around like she didn't weigh an ounce. And when he held her close, it was _sensual_.

But when Petra slowly slid down his body and put her small hand on Levi's ass, Eren felt like he shouldn't be seeing that and shyly averted his eyes. That gave him the chance to gaze around and find the look of complete awe on everyone's faces.

Wanting to learn to dance or not, he knew that he should be grateful to have Petra and Levi as instructors.

The music ended too soon and applause boomed through the studio, a few people cheering out loud. Levi looked content, pressing a quick kiss to Petra's temple, while she was positively radiant. Dancing seemed to awaken her, and it was a beautiful sight.

Speaking of beautiful, Eren remembered his girlfriend.

His girlfriend, who was giving him an evil smirk.

"Enjoyed the show?" She asked before he could even open his mouth.

"Uh, sure?"

"Mmhm..." She nodded and smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! The hell?!"

"For staring," she replied sweetly. He could tell she wasn't angry, but only wanted him to know that he was obvious about it.

"We were supposed to stare! And don't tell me you didn't have a nice long look at Levi's ass. The way he shook it, I'm surprised his sweats didn't slide off."

"Wow, I'd be so embarrassed if that happened," Levi's smooth voice suddenly appeared behind his back.

Eren wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Seriously. What _was _it with the luck he had with this guy?! Annie started to giggle loudly and it sure didn't help.

"You must be Eren's girlfriend," Levi shook Annie's hand.

"Yeah. I'm Annie. That was quite a show, wow."

"Thanks," he smiled and glanced over at Eren. "Next time I catch you calling me a kid or talking about my ass behind my back, you're buying me drinks."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Eren grumbled, completely and utterly mortified.

Levi chuckled and walked over to Petra. He came up behind her and pinched her butt, making her jump and swat at him, laughing all the while.

"They must be together," Annie commented. "How close they are, and the chemistry between them when they dance..."

They both saw Levi putting an arm around her and steering her towards the studio entrance, where another guy was standing. Seeing the man, Petra waved happily and hurried towards him. They embraced and he kissed her on the mouth, leaving no doubt that they were a couple.

"I guess I was wrong," Annie shrugged.

"Yeah but," Eren began.

"But what?"

"Why is that guy so comfortable with Levi dancing like that with his girlfriend and pinching her ass? I mean, if he touched you like that..." He frowned at the thought.

"Who knows? Whatever. It's not our business."

"Yeah, you're right."

Eren had to admit – the dancing... It wasn't so bad after all, even though he sucked at it. Maybe it was worth trying, if it would make Annie glow with happiness like it obviously did to Petra.

* * *

xXx

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Ice Cream in Winter**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

xXx

* * *

Ever since he'd graduated from high school, Levi knew that he was going to dedicate his life to dancing. He was always good at sports – any sport, really – so there were no doubts while choosing the Faculty of Kinesiology over everything else. Levi wanted to dance as long as he could, and then pass it on to others.

He'd met Petra in the dancing school when they were seven. They were paired up as partners by the age of ten. They did have short breaks, but in the end, their trainers concluded that they worked the best together. Levi knew that one of the reasons was his under-average height (and Petra always remained slightly shorter than him), but no one ever said that aloud.

At the age of fifteen, he and Petra got into the same high school, where they'd met Hanji, Eldo and Gunther, as well as a few upperclassmen – Erwin, Mike and Nile. They hung out together even when the older guys finished high school. Levi thought it to be so cool when he got to hang out with university students while he was still underage.

There was another break between him and Petra, which almost ended their friendship for good.

When they were seniors, Petra confessed her feelings and it made Levi almost sick to his stomach. He loved her. He loved her so much, but not even close to the way she wanted him to. She'd told him that she'd been waiting for him all that time, thinking that maybe he was too shy. He offered no explanation, only that he didn't feel the same.

At the time, she couldn't handle it. Over the summer before the university had started, Levi hadn't heard from Petra, not even once. In that autumn though, he'd ran into her at their dancing school. She was trying to get transferred and hearing that made Levi's heart break. So he did what needed to be done.

He'd grabbed her hand before she even noticed him and dragged her out and into the nearest café.

They sat and talked there for hours, Petra cried from time to time while Levi did his best to soothe her.

In the end, Petra had met Auruo in her classes, while Levi finally got into the relationship _he'd_ been pining over for years. But that's a story for some other time.

* * *

xXx

* * *

He'd been looking at Eren for nearly twenty minutes into the class, trying to decide between feeling amused or exasperated. The kid was such a slow learner that it was painful for Levi to watch.

It had been three weeks since the beginner group was formed and everyone was getting better, kind of. Except for Eren. Well, okay, he was getting better as well, but _sloooowly_.

Levi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was becoming his most used gesture whenever he had to deal with Eren. Figures.

"Oi, Eren," he approached the brunet.

"I know, I know... I don't know!" Eren flailed about, causing Annie to roll her eyes in embarrassment. Levi chuckled, though. There was some kind of boyish charm in his clumsiness, Levi had to admit.

"What did I say about stomping?"

"No stomping," Eren muttered.

"Right. So why do that? Look," Levi stood next to the kid. "Rumba is just like cha-cha, only without the cha-cha."

"Eh."

"Don't you 'eh' me," he poked Eren's shoulder with his index finger.

"Can I 'ow'?"

Levi snorted. "Sure you can. But look here now. You have your one-two's, but when you'd do cha-cha-cha, you make one slow step. It has to be romantic and sad."

"Oh my god..."

"He's not very romantic, is he," Levi asked Annie, who in turn shrugged, as if to say '_not really_'.

"Could you two like, stop messing with me? I'm having a hard time as it is," Eren certainly got irritated. He stopped trying the steps altogether and marched over to the small table where everyone put their water bottles and phones. He angrily twisted the cap and gulped down half of his water.

Levi guessed it was time to apologize.

"Hey kid," he began as he approached Eren. "I know you're having a rough time, okay? I shouldn't have teased you like that. But, come on. Try some more. You'll get it in time."

"It's fine," Eren sighed and gestured towards Annie. "It's just that... She wants me to dance so much and I suck so bad... It's not that much about disappointing her anymore, but... I just see this as a huge homework I don't wanna have."

"Oh." Ow. That sucked. He looked at Eren. "Dancing should be about joy."

"Not exactly feeling joy right now," the kid answered with a bitter smile.

Levi actually felt sorry for him. He couldn't recall a single moment when dancing wasn't bringing him happiness. Hell, he danced around his apartment all the time, even while cleaning it.

"What makes you happy, Eren?"

"I..." Eren seemed confused by the question. "Hanging out with my friends?"

"You're asking me or telling me?" Levi teased. When Eren rolled his eyes, he poked him again. "Chin up. I'm gonna make you enjoy dancing even if it kills me... Even if you just end up dancing like a monkey in a club, but _enjoying_ it."

Eren actually giggled and snorted at that. "I actually like goofing around in clubs..."

"Well then, all you have to do is join us on Friday nights at club 'Mambo'. It's been a tradition for years now and that club practically lives from our Fridays out."

Remembering he always carried a bunch of free-pass flyers in his bag, he hurried over to it and fished out a dozen of flyers for the club.

"Here," he shoved them into Eren's hands. "For you and your friends. Just show these to the bouncer and he'll let you in."

"Thanks!" Eren's face lit up and Levi had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling like an idiot.

He noticed other people looking his way and eyeing the flyers he just gave to Eren. Whoops. Right. The whole class was invited, of course. He just felt extra sorry for Eren, that's all.

Levi cleared his throat and shooed Eren to his spot on the dance floor. "Take a short break everyone. When the class is over, I'll give out these flyers. They're free-passes for club 'Mambo' where we're going every Friday night. The music is normal, no electronic crap, and you can dance whichever way you want."

He smirked.

"They're mostly playing discofox, but there'll be some Latin in between, I'll make sure of that."

People laughed a bit and Levi's gaze automatically drifted to Eren, just to see if he made him smile as well.

Wait, what the hell?

As their eyes met, Levi scowled unintentionally, which in turn made Eren's smile drop and made him resemble a sad puppy.

Wonderful.

* * *

xXx

* * *

What's with the scowl? Eren really couldn't decipher the guy. Levi was first weird, then intimidating, then nice, then he was scowling... In the past three weeks, Eren wasn't sure if Levi secretly hated his guts, or he was just quirky like that.

He stayed in a weird mood for the rest of the class, not even stressing over the rumba steps. Whatever. It was like he'd said – he really didn't enjoy it. When he got to dance with Annie, it improved his mood a tiny bit because he managed not to step on her feet, and they didn't stumble, not even once.

He had to keep it basic, even without the turns because when Annie did turn once, he froze before he'd end up stepping on her.

* * *

xXx

* * *

"I'm gonna get killed, I'm telling you," Eren whined over the web-cam call. And Armin had the nerve to laugh at him.

"You could've said no, you know? But I'm sure that there are far worse things than dancing."

"Even when you have two left feet?"

"Did Annie tell you that?"

"No, I said that. She's probably thinking it, though. And you know, this Levi guy? The instructor? I think he hates my guts."

Armin looked at the camera with a questioning gaze. "Something happened?"

"Not really... He's just weird. He sees that I'm struggling and then he helps me out, but he has these remarks all the time... He's being rude and nice at the same time. It freaks me the fuck out."

"So why do you think he hates you?"

"I don't know," Eren sighed. "Today he gave me these flyers for a club and said that we should come this Friday. And then he was all smiles, but when I looked at him the next time, he was scowling, like it wasn't even funny."

"He could've been scowling because of something else?"

"He was looking right at me!"

"Eren. You're obsessing. Calm down." Armin rolled his eyes at him. "Why in the world would he hate you?"

"Because I suck at dancing?"

"Yeah, that's a legitimate reason alright," Armin giggled and the sound got to Eren, making him smile as well.

"So, will you go with me on Friday? I have a bunch of these," he raised the flyers for Armin to see.

"Sure, if you show me some of your new moves," the petit blond teased and Eren groaned.

"I'll show you the monkey dance."

"The what?"

"Levi called it that way. It's that usual goofing off that we do."

"Oh," Armin laughed, "then monkey dance it is!"

"Great! So... Wanna shoot someone?"

"Sure, give me a minute."

Eren grinned and launched '_Battlefield_', his bad mood erased by his best friend.

* * *

xXx

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Ice Cream in Winter**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

xXx

* * *

Eren was strangely excited about the Friday night for the remainder of the week. Strangely excited for someone who didn't like to dance, to be precise. But he knew for a fact that Armin would be there by his side, and at least they were going to have some fun.

* * *

xXx

* * *

So when the Friday came, Eren was at the club 'Mambo' already at 10:30 pm, dragging Armin with him.

"I'm telling you, we're too early!" The blond tried to explain but Eren wouldn't listen. They've even ditched Annie and Mikasa because they were still trying out clothes when he and Armin were ready to go.

"Oh come on! I've never been to a place like this, can you blame me?"

"Nah, I guess I can't," Armin shrugged. "But I doubt anyone will be here."

Just as he said so, they turned around the corner of the small hallway and into the main part of the club. There was a big bar alongside the whole left wall with a few booths and a dozen of low tables left from it. The rest of the place was free for dancing. On the opposite wall from the bar, Eren spotted a door and tall windows that could be opened and removed to lead to the terrace during the hot summer nights.

The club worked as a café during the day and it said on the entrance that it switches its service at 11 pm. So yeah, they were a bit early, like Armin said, but was it really a problem?

Eren checked his phone to see if someone had texted him and there it was, the tiny notification on the top left corner of his screen. It was from Levi, which made him blink in wonder. They had exchanged numbers just in case if someone got lost on the way to the club (those were Levi's exact words, accompanied with a teasing evil smirk).

'_Don't just stand there like a kid in a candy shop. You look ridiculous._' The message said.

So Levi _was_ there, somewhere. Eren rolled his eyes at the message and then scanned the tables. Nope, no Levi. He squinted towards the somewhat darkened area with the booths and saw that only one was occupied, but by a tall blond man. Until the man's company moved a bit and came out of the shadow, that is. Levi leaned over the table and waved shortly, beckoning Eren and Armin to join them.

"Over there," Eren tugged his friend.

"Hey," Levi greeted once they approached the booth. "This is Erwin," he introduced his blond companion.

"Pleased to meet you," Erwin said with a polite smile. Eren shook his hand and then introduced Armin.

"So, you dance as well?"

Erwin chuckled, sharing a look with Levi. "Not like Levi does, but I know a move or two."

"You're way too modest," Levi snorted.

The blond man just smiled and then turned to Eren. "You're in Levi's beginners' class?"

"Yeah," he sighed and squirmed a bit. "I'm not doing a really god job, to be honest."

"Shut up, you're fine," Levi rolled his eyes and tugged him down to sit beside him, leaving Armin to take a place on Erwin's side of the booth.

"You told me I sucked, just the other day!" Eren squeaked incredulously, making both Erwin and Armin laugh.

"That was my method of motivation..."

"You do that to everyone?"

"No! Are you nuts?" Levi looked insulted. "I can read people. I know what kind of motivation works for every individual in your class. If I told that tiny blond girl she sucked, she'd probably cry."

"Who, Christa?"

"Yeah. When you work with people as long as I have, you learn these things. I always learned best when someone screamed at me. But that doesn't mean I should do the same to everyone I'm teaching."

"That's an awesome method," Armin commented. "But not everyone can read people that well."

"I can't do it immediately, but it's been almost a month now. I've had enough time," Levi smirked.

A group of young people barged into the club, making it a bit louder.

"I guess they'll start the music soon," Levi noticed and then eyed Eren.

"What."

"You owe me a monkey dance."

"Can I have a partner?" Eren already cast a look at Armin.

"Sure you can. The more the merrier, right?" The instructor hid a smile behind his hand.

"What are you talking about," Erwin asked, seemingly amused.

"I promised Eren that I'll make him love dancing, this way or that, even if it means he'll just goof around with his friend."

"Well now I feel sorry I won't be witnessing that," the blond said with a smile. "I have to go now... Still so much work to do."

"Don't tell me you still bring the work home," Levi sighed.

"You know me Levi," Erwin gave an apologetic smile. "Well, if you'll excuse me," he looked over at Armin, waiting for him to move.

Once he was standing, he smoothed down his suit and said goodbyes to the group.

"I'll see you out," Levi said, climbing over Eren before he even understood what was going on. There was a hand on his shoulder, a black denim-clad ass in front of his face and Levi was out of the booth, leaving Eren blinking after him.

"What just happened," Eren asked himself more than anyone.

"I think you just got an eyeful," Armin giggled. "He's really something. I like him. And no, he doesn't hate you, I can tell."

"I guess he just likes to tease me..."

"That he does," Armin agreed, smiling.

The waiter came by, asking for their orders and Eren looked in the direction where Levi had left, wondering if they should wait for him. He saw him and Erwin talking by the entrance. The tall blond was smiling, while Levi seemed kind of grouchy, probably scolding Erwin for working too much.

A few more words were exchanged before Erwin looked like he was ready to leave. He put a hand on Levi's shoulder and bent down a bit, placing a kiss on Levi's cheek.

Eren stared as the blond then said something else while caressing Levi's cheek with the back of his fingers. And Levi gave a smile? What?

"Um, Armin?"

"Yeah, I saw."

"So..."

"Just act normal. None of our business. Though that explains it."

"Explains what?" Eren pressed.

"Hush, he's coming back."

Levi eyed them both as he came back. "What?"

"Nothing!" They exclaimed in unison. So much about acting normal. Eren wanted to bang his head against the table.

"Oh, you saw that, didn't you?"

"Saw what," Eren tried to act stupid. He didn't need much at this point.

"Really," Levi scoffed, pushing Eren's shoulder. "Scoot or I'll climb over you again."

Eren hurriedly moved to take Levi's old spot, nearly knocking over Levi's empty coffee cup.

"Nervous much? What's your problem?"

"No, I don't have any problems! Really! It's just that... No, everything's fine!"

Even Armin was now staring at him like he'd lost it.

"I think he wants to say that he didn't mean to stare at stuff that isn't his concern," Armin said finally, making Levi chuckle.

"Erwin's my ex. We stayed close friends. Explains it all?"

"S-sure..." Eren let out a breath he was holding.

"Does that bother you?" Levi asked.

"What, that Erwin's your ex?"

"No, you idiot. That I'm gay."

"Of course it doesn't! We're in the 21st century, why would it bother me?" Eren huffed, slightly insulted. He always thought of himself as an open-minded, easygoing type. Why would he judge someone by their sexual preferences? It's just that he'd never been in this kind of situation before, so it was almost expected that he'd make a complete moron out of himself. Figures.

"Good. Because it's not like I'm gonna come on to you or anything."

"Okay."

"Unless you want me to," Levi waggled his eyebrows, making Armin giggle out loud while Eren... Well, Eren had enough of jokes at his expense.

"Oh come on... Enough," he whined, resting his head on the table.

"Fine, fine," Levi patted his shoulder and turned to Armin. "So you're a student too?"

"Yeah. I'm with Eren on history classes. But we've known each other all our lives."

"That's great. You can always rely on him right?" Levi smirked and then glanced over to the club entrance. "Speaking of lifelong friendships..."

Eren turned his head and saw Petra waving at them and hurrying over. Damn, she was fine looking in skinny jeans, a black tube top and the skin colored dance shoes.

Levi pulled her to his lap the moment she was within arm's reach.

"Hey there pretty lady," he purred and she giggled.

"Hey guys," she greeted. "Oh, I don't know you," she smiled at Armin, who in turn blushed.

"This is Armin, Eren's buddy. Oh hey, didn't your sister and girlfriend say they'll be here too?"

"They did. We left earlier because they took forever to get ready."

"Gentlemen these days..." Levi shook his head and Eren couldn't help himself, so he whacked him playfully on the shoulder.

"Shut up, at least you don't have to deal with women!"

"Oh, you told them!" Petra seemed surprised. "While it only took you eighteen years to tell me, your best friend," she teased and Levi groaned.

"I'm never getting out of this one, huh?"

"Nope!" Petra laughed and squirmed away from his semi-hug. "I'm gonna tell the DJ to get his ass in here. I wanna dance!"

Eren could only smile at their interaction. While both Levi and Petra were professional during the classes, this was a glimpse of how they were in private and Eren decided he liked both of them. He really hoped they could all become friends. Petra was cute and lovable in every way and seemed the kind of person to go to with a problem or a worry. She talked some confidence into several girls in their beginners' class. And Levi? While he sometimes seemed cold and unapproachable, he actually liked to joke around and he seemed to care about the people close to him. And he got a bit closer to the whole class, only Eren noticed that he didn't like being around the girls who swooned over him. There were a few of those, of course, because no one had the moves like Levi. It was a fact that even Eren as a straight guy had to admit.

* * *

xXx

* * *

By the end of the night, Eren had concluded that Annie and Mikasa were sulking as they didn't show up or texted him _or_ Armin, so they goofed around together, but most of the time was spent in watching others dance.

And by others he meant Levi and Petra because they were always standing out, no matter how good other people were. Eren figured that the way Levi and Petra were able to dance only traumatized others because it was nearly impossible to get into the kind of synchronization that the two had.

To be honest, Eren studied Levi's moves in search of... Well, he wasn't sure. He'd learned something new about the guy and it actually made him curious. If he hadn't seen Levi with Erwin, or if Levi hadn't said it out loud... Would he be able to see that wasn't straight? Because at first, he was certain that Levi and Petra had a thing, despite her boyfriend.

The set of latin songs had ended and the crowd had scattered around the club, going either to their tables, or to the bar while Levi and Petra came back to the booth that Eren and Armin had been lounging in or dancing close to throughout the evening.

Just as Petra sat down next to Eren, a new song started and she turned her bright eyes to Levi. The unmistakable first sounds of '_You can leave your hat on_' rang through the club.

"Oh my god! It's your song!"

Eren blinked. That was a stripper song for sure. What?

Levi grinned and started moving along the beat, earning a cheer from the next table, while Eren stared.

Really, what?

Quickly, Levi glanced around and then grabbed an empty chair from the nearest table, circling around it in slow steps, one hand raised up as if to hold the rim of an imaginary hat. He stood in front of the chair, facing Petra, Eren and Armin, and made a small turn before swaying his hips down until he sat on the chair.

At the lyrics _'baby, take off your coat_', he moved as if to open the sides of a coat. He then spread his legs and sensually writhed in the chair, earning a scream and a giggle from one of the girls nearby.

He moved in rhythm and followed the words of the song perfectly. When it was time to _'take off his shoes_', he kicked one leg up and caressed it, almost like a professional stripper. At _'take off your dress_', he lifted his tight-fitting white t-shirt to show a small part of his abs, and then quickly lowered it with a smirk that almost said something like '_nope, you won't be seeing them after all_'.

And Eren was _almost _disappointed. Only, he wasn't sure why. Probably because he would never be able to move like that. Yes, that was definitely it.

Once again, Levi caught hold of his imaginary hat and writhed some more, before he got off the chair and walked suggestively behind it. That's when he'd burst out laughing and stopped the show.

Even with those few moves, he'd earned applause and some longing looks from the female guests.

"One day you're gonna have to make it till the end," Petra teased as Levi finally sat down.

"Yeah, yeah," he waved dismissively. "Not gonna happen."

"Why not," Eren croaked and quickly cleared his throat. Levi gave him a curious look, combined with a tiny smirk.

"Why should I?" He asked.

Eren could only shrug. Why should he indeed? Not like it was his concern. Whatever. Levi could quit ballroom dancing and become a stripper for all he cared. He'd be awesome at it, no doubt.

Shut up brain, you're drunk.

"So, um..."

Levi chuckled and it confused Eren more.

"So, is it fun like this every Friday? Because I'd like to come again," Armin quickly asked, saving Eren from further weirdness.

"Sure," Petra smiled.

"And you have to come again because you two still owe us your monkey dance," Levi added. "It's gonna be closing time soon."

* * *

xXx

* * *

When Eren woke up the next morning, or to be precise – afternoon, he had two messages on his phone.

The first one was from Annie. "_Don't even dare to talk to me for the next 3 days._" Great. Just great.

The second message surprised him. It was from Levi. "_I hope you didn't die of boredom last night._"

He snorted and quickly typed a reply. "_Is texting from the afterlife possible?_"

The new message arrived not five minutes after his response.

"_Smartass._"

Eren smiled. He kinda liked arguing with Levi, if it could be called that. He yawned and stretched, making his way to the bathroom, where he met Mikasa.

"Mornin'," he murmured, studying her curiously.

"Not talking to you."

"Oh my god," Eren rolled his eyes and slammed the bathroom door behind him. He had to get out of the house, because he was certain that Annie would be dropping by after lunch and he really didn't want to experience two poisonous glares for the rest of the day.

Before getting into the shower, he typed a quick message, not even looking over it when he pressed 'send'.

"_Wanna meet up for coffee later today? I just wanna get out of the house._"

He didn't wait for the reply, jumping under the hot shower immediately. The water relaxed him and removed all the traces of his grogginess from sleeping till so late. He took his time washing his hair and enjoying the rich foam between his fingers.

After nearly twenty minutes of sheer bliss, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his hips, checking his phone.

Eren scratched the back of his head, assured that he'd sent the message to Armin. Only, he didn't. He was so used to have Armin on top of his texting list that he'd automatically written into his last conversation. Which was with Levi.

But he got a response.

"_Sure. Meet me at 6 in the café across the street from the dance school._"

* * *

xXx

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**Ice Cream in Winter**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

xXx

* * *

When Eren entered the café, Levi was already there, sitting at the corner table, facing the entrance. Their gazes met and Eren made a short nod, hurrying over to him.

"Hi," he murmured, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. What was Levi thinking why he invited him?

"Hey," Levi smirked. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked teasingly.

"Um. I thought that I texted Armin. I only realized it was you when you replied," Eren blurted out and realized just how stupid and lame it sounded only when it was already out of his mouth. Too bad he couldn't eat the words before Levi heard them.

One of Levi's eyebrows arched at that and he rubbed the corners of his mouth, looking... Embarrassed?

"Wow."

"I'm sorry, it came out wrong! Not that I wouldn't want to hang out with you! I-I mean, you're my instructor, and you're older and I'd be too spooked to ask you, so it kinda ended up okay, right?"

Oh wow, was he blabbing.

"So you did want to hang out with me?" Levi asked.

"Well yeah..." Eren grinned, relieved. "Okay, let's just... Hi. How are you?"

Levi laughed a bit and leaned back in his seat. "I'm fine. You okay? Why did you want to get out of the house?"

"Oh my god," Eren groaned, taking off his light jacket. "Mikasa and Annie are sulking. Not talking to me. And since they're best friends, Annie came by right after lunch and I couldn't stand the glares and hushed talking."

"Ah, the downsides that I'm blessedly relieved of. What about your folks?"

"Mom's on their side, of course," he muttered, "and dad's just giving me sympathetic looks."

When Levi laughed out loud, Eren snorted too.

The waiter came by and they placed their orders; a generic café latte for Levi and a giant cappuccino for Eren.

"You know these two are basically the same, only you get a shit ton of foam and pay it double?"

"Wow. Way to kill my enthusiasm," Eren blinked. "Why are you always so grouchy?"

Levi's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm not! I have unique sense of humor. You people just don't get it."

"Right," Eren laughed. "So..."

"You're really weirded out by this, huh? Okay here, let me do the talking," Levi offered, looking amused by Eren's lack of brains. "How's University?"

"Um, good. It's good. Interesting. I'm a little spooked by the amount of books I have to read for every exam... There's like a ton of them..."

"But you began to study, right? You don't want everything piling up on you, trust me. Been there."

"Oh, right! But you studied kinesiology, isn't that like... Just doing sports?"

Levi snorted. "No. I had to learn anatomy; I had to read psychology books... It's not just 'doing sports'."

"Sorry," Eren felt uncomfortable again, as if Levi was scolding him. The waiter brought their coffee cups and Eren practically dug his face in the large cappuccino mug. What the hell was wrong with him? Levi wasn't frowning at him, or yelling at him, or seeming the least bit hostile... So why the heck did he feel like he was being dissected? The annoying jitters in his stomach awakened every time their eyes met and that meant looking anyplace except at Levi's face and it was so rude and not really an 'Eren' thing to do.

"Eren."

"Yeah," he almost jumped.

"You have foam on your nose," Levi smirked and handed him a paper tissue.

"Uh, thanks." Great. Add that to the growing list of embarrassing and crappy things that happened in front of Levi. "It must be really fun for you, to have to deal with a guy like me."

Okay... That sounded better while inside his head. Not so much anymore.

"What do you mean," Levi gave him a curious gaze.

"Well I'm weird. I unknowingly insulted you, I have two left feet and I absolutely suck at dancing, I can't talk to you without looking like an idiot..."

"Yes," Levi rubbed under his chin, a smug look on his face. "It's fun... But you're also wrong."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm just going to assume this. You're nineteen, barely an adult and you still have that child-like wish to become friends with everyone you meet. I saw it in classes and you confirmed it last night. You like Petra and me, and you'd like to hang out with us and be friends. And that's all great, but we're eight years older than you and you're afraid we just won't see you the way you'd like us to."

Eren's jaw dropped. It was like watching Sherlock Holmes, seriously. "Wow. That's... Exactly it."

"Okay," Levi said lightly. "Now if you would relax and be yourself, because I see no reason why we couldn't hang out or be friends."

"Okay," Eren grinned and leaned back into his seat. Levi's words actually made him feel better and more assured. Speaking of which, he remembered something. "Hey, what's your last name?"

Levi blinked at him. "You don't know, _Jaeger_?" Oh he totally said that just to show off how he knew.

"How should I know? You never told me?"

Levi shifted in his seat and propped his elbows on the café table, leaning towards Eren. "Are you saying you've been going to '_R&R dance school_' for nearly a month now and you never checked who your instructors are? Never bothered to check what R&R stands for?"

"Um, rock and roll?" Eren actually giggled, secretly enjoying the way Levi's eyebrow twitched. He could so get used to this.

"No, you little shit," Levi chuckled, catching the teasing. "Ral and Riveron," he said finally.

"So which one are you?"

"Riveron. It's French, before you get all confused."

"Cool. Mine's German," Eren grinned, "We're practically neighbors."

Levi facepalmed and snorted. "I see I'm gonna regret hanging out with a brat..."

* * *

xXx

* * *

Before Eren realized, it was 9 pm. He'd spent three hours chatting and laughing with Levi and it seemed like it only lasted for an hour, tops. He realized with some regret that he should probably go home.

"I hope I didn't mess up any plans you have this evening."

"I don't, actually. I thought of just chillin' at home tonight," Levi said, stretching his back and his legs.

"Then I should probably leave you to it..."

"Nah. I don't mind staying. But if you want, we can go to my place. It's just a block away from here."

Eren mulled it over. He was a bit hungry, to be honest. And the café didn't have anything except, well beverages.

"Um, sure. I'd just like to get something to eat along the way."

"Don't bother," Levi waved him off, "We'll order a pizza."

Eren's mouth began to water at the mere thought of the aroma, the tomato sauce and the melted cheese. "Hnn," he produced an inarticulate whine.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Levi chuckled and stood up, snatching the receipt off the table.

"Hey, I invited you! I should be paying for coffee..."

"So? You're also a student, while I have an actual job."

Eren couldn't argue with that... He never had a real job, well, except for working in a car-wash over a few summers while he was in high school, but that was only because he wanted to hang out with Armin. His dad was a doctor and the chief of Oncology department in the city's hospital so his family was well off, and Eren was never pressed into finding a job. That didn't mean he got all the money he wanted, though – his parents wanted him to earn it, whether through good grades or house chores.

"Earth to Eren?" Levi lightly knocked on his head.

"Huh, what! Sorry, I spaced out."

"I noticed. Coming? Thinking about that pizza made me hungry too."

* * *

xXx

* * *

Eren stared as Levi opened the door to his apartment. The place wasn't huge, but it was open and perfectly arranged. At Levi's demand, Eren took his shoes off and came further in.

To his immediate right was the kitchen area, with the sink, stove, a work surface and a refrigerator lined up against the wall, and a big kitchen-island opposing all of the elements with three bar-stools on the other side of it. No dining table.

The rest of that one spacious room was the living area. Behind the kitchen island, Eren saw a creamy white leather sofa and a glass coffee table facing a big plasma TV and a modern glass-and-metal bookcase filled with books and DVD's. Against the far left wall was a massive desk with a laptop on it.

To Eren's left was a narrow closet for coats and shoes and then an opened door to the bedroom of which Eren only caught a glimpse.

"Wow. Nice place."

"Thanks," Levi smirked and went straight to the kitchen area, opening a drawer and picking up a small stack of leaflets. "I've already ordered from these places, and they're all good, so take your pick. I'm okay with anything."

"Ooh," Eren scanned the papers. He would have picked any, but one caught his eye. "What's this? '_Titan's Pizza_'?"

"Oh, yeah. They have like, an _extra_ jumbo size."

"Oh my god, I want that," Eren sighed, brushing the corner of his mouth just in case he drooled.

"Sure, but will you be able to eat your half?" Levi asked with a glint of challenge in his eyes.

"Will you?" Eren grinned. There was no way that a small guy like Levi could out-eat him!

"You'd be surprised by the size of things I can fit in my mouth," Levi purred smugly.

"Aaaah, I don't need to know that, alright? Shut up!" The young man wailed, covering his ears while Levi cracked up in front of him. He could kick him for that, really.

"What! You little pervert, I was talking about food!"

"Sure you did," Eren huffed.

"You'll see," Levi shrugged, smiling all the while. "Okay, enough bullshitting. We're ordering Titan's jumbo then?"

Eren nodded. "Quattro formaggi?"

Levi hummed in delight. "My favorite. I'm so gonna beat you." He gave an evil little smirk and took his phone. "Make yourself at home while I order. I'll join you in a minute."

Eren did so, strolling over the spacious room until he reached the sofa. He plopped down and turned the TV on, but then stood up again and went to the bookcase, curious about the DVD's. Beside the hits that Eren was pleased to find, there was a bunch of old movies that he'd never bothered to see or find out what they were about. But Levi seemed to like them enough to have them in neat order in his collection.

He looked around some more and realized that the place was obviously untouched by a woman's hand. It wasn't messy in any way, no. Levi's apartment looked cleaner than Eren's house, and his mother was very neat, herself. As he looked closer, there wasn't a single speck of dust on the bookcase, not a single smudge or a trail of a glass or a cup on the coffee table. Everything was immaculate.

The lack of a woman's touch was shown in the way everything was simple and plain – on the first look. Actually, every piece of furniture was picked out with precision, to form a nice _and_ practical environment. No excessive decoration, no figurines and trinkets clogging up the shelves...

The only bit of decoration was an old movie poster, '_Anchors Aweigh_', framed and hanging on the wall above Levi's desk; and a photograph of a woman on the said desk. Eren guessed she was Levi's mother because apart of her long black hair, her features were strikingly similar to his, only softer.

"The pizza will be here in about thirty minutes," Levi's voice startled him.

"Oh! Okay... Um."

"What?"

"Is this your mom?"

"Yeah. You can tell, huh?"

"Totally."

"Good. I'm glad," Levi said with a sad smile and Eren figured it was best to not nose around too much.

However, Levi decided to satisfy his curiosity for some reason.

"She was part French. I have her last name."

"W-was?" Eren asked tentatively.

"She passed away five years ago. Cancer." Levi frowned and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine," Levi cut him off and turned away, heading for the sofa. "Come on, enough of that. Our male bonding doesn't have to include crying on each other's shoulders," he snorted in attempt to hide a small sniffle, which Eren had caught anyway.

Eren decided to go with the flow because the last thing he wanted was to ruin Levi's evening with depressing conversations.

"So, you like old movies?" He asked, pointing at the bookcase.

"Like is an understatement," the older man smirked. "It was the time when movies still had some meaning, and – don't laugh – romance."

Eren giggled, not able to help himself.

"Shut up. In today's movies, two people meet, fuck and then maybe fall in love. I like the oldies better because there's a plot and romance. Real romance."

"Wow, that sounds so..." Eren searched for a word. For too long.

"Gay?" Levi offered with a snicker.

"I wasn't gonna say that! I was gonna say old-fashioned, but in a nice way. Give me some credit!"

"Old-fashioned?" Levi eyed him. Oh no, he could already feel he's going to be lectured. "Say, at what time should the movie have been filmed for you to call it old?"

Was that a trick question? "Uh... Older than nineteen-eighties? Although, I've seen '_Rocky_' and it's from seventy-six but that's a classic..." He trailed off as Levi's gaze on him grew more and more incredulous.

"'_Rocky_' is a classic for you?! Oh my god, I have more than dancing to teach you," Levi rubbed his forehead. "Listen, _brat_, '_Casablanca_' is a classic. _'Gone with the wind_' is a classic. '_Rocky_'... Eh."

"What!" Eren gawked. "Don't mess with '_Rocky_'! It might not be a classic by _your_ prissy standards, but it's an epic movie! Movies! It's a whole saga!"

Levi cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at him before pointing an index finger at his bookcase. "I'm guessing you didn't take a good look over there. Just guessing," he added with a smirk.

Eren looked and... There it was – a box-set of '_Rocky_', complete anthology. And once again, Eren felt like an idiot. He could only laugh at this point, which he did.

The helpless giggles and snorts seemed to be contagious because beside him, Levi was doing his best not to start laughing. Pointing and laughing at him, Eren was certain, because as the things were flowing, he'd point and laugh at himself too. No one ever managed to make him feel so great and so stupid at the same time like Levi did.

When the pizza came, they've actually agreed on watching the first '_Rocky_', and Eren couldn't stop snickering for the first fifteen minutes of the movie because of Levi's impersonation of Stallone and yelling a guttural "Adrian".

* * *

xXx

* * *

Halfway through the movie, the pizza was mostly gone. Mostly because it was goddamn huge and Eren believed he couldn't fit another crumb in his stomach. Barely breathing, he eyed the last two slices in the box, figuring that at least Levi hadn't beaten him. There was no way...

"You gonna eat yours?" Levi asked, reaching for a slice.

"What, no...Oh... Ew... Can't... Breathe..."

The older man shrugged, took _both_ slices and smacked them together, creating a sandwich. Into which he then bit.

Eren stared at him, wondering if he was dreaming.

Levi chewed the bite, swallowed and then grinned at Eren. "Not only will I eat my half..." He took another bite and continued to talk with his mouth full, making Eren cringe with queasiness. "But I'll eat a part of yours too. So, who won?"

"Okay, you did," Eren whined. "Just get it out of my sight... I'll never eat again, for the rest of my life..."

"Yeah, or until tomorrow morning," Levi chuckled, busying himself with the pizza sandwich.

"Were you starving for days before tonight?!" Eren asked, still barely believing what was happening before his very eyes.

"No... Actually, I ate just before we met up... Around five?"

"Oh my god, what are you?"

Levi only snickered, finishing off the last bits.

"Seriously! Where did it all go? I mean look at yourself! You're toned and fit and tiny..."

Oops.

"Tiny?" Levi stared at him. "For that, I should force feed you this crust," he held up the last remaining piece of pizza. "But by your look, that would only make you hurl and ruin my sofa. So I'll forgive you. This time." He smirked. He was full of those evil little smirks. Eren liked them and hated them at the same time.

"Sorry," Eren heaved a sigh, leaning back into the sofa. He was thirsty but there was no room even for water... He hated that feeling. He had to focus; breathe in, don't puke, breathe out. Don't think about puking or you will. Breathe in, breathe out.

"You need a Lamaze course for that?" Levi asked, poking lightly at Eren's stomach.

"I hate you..."

"No you don't. I saved you from the _girls_," he drawled, like it was something hideous he was talking about, drawing a breathy giggle out of Eren. That was the best he could do in his current state.

"Yeah, I guess you did."

"Mhm. Okay, you up for some ice cream?"

"Oh my god!"

"That's a 'no' I guess," Levi teased and stood up to throw away the empty box.

Eren watched him go and tried to find out if Levi was suffering from eating that much. It didn't seem to affect him at all. He shuffled around his kitchen and to Eren's horror, he actually took a box of ice cream from the freezer.

That man had a black hole inside his stomach, there was no other explanation.

* * *

xXx

* * *

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

**Ice Cream in Winter**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

xXx

* * *

"What the fuck?!" Eren felt his eyebrow twitching and the inevitable headache approaching by the speed of light. At Mikasa's annoyed glare, he repeated more politely. "Uh, what... What did you just say?"

"I said I'm with Jean. Jean is my boyfriend. I am his girlfriend. We are f-"

"Nooo, shut up, shut up, I don't wanna hear it!"

"What, no! We are finally on the same page, is what I meant to say before you interrupted me," she clarified, a slight blush on her cheeks. She sat down on Eren's bed and gave him a chastising look.

Ha-ha, whoops.

"Okay... So what happened? Has the world run out of decent guys?"

"Very funny," Mikasa rolled her eyes. "We went on a date, like I'd promised him for going to the dance school with me. He's..." She trailed off, looking somewhat dreamy. "He's a really nice guy."

Eren had a sound very similar to 'blergh' at the tip of his tongue but he managed to contain it. Instead, he gave a little smile. "Yay," he teased, ducking when his sister swatted at him.

"And he's cute," she said with a grin.

"Ew no! That guy is anything but cute! Oh my god, now I have one more reason to hate him..."

"Because he's cute and you're not?"

"No, smartass," Eren snickered and gently pulled on a tuft of her hair. "I'm your brother, it's in my job description to be distrustful of your boyfriend."

"Great," Mikasa giggled. "But you're gonna be okay with him dropping by every now and then?"

He shrugged, knowing that Jean would be there no matter what he said. "Fine, whatever... Just don't have sex while I'm home. You know, thin walls and all," he motioned at the wall between his and Mikasa's rooms.

"You're an idiot," she groaned.

"I'm your idiot," he bumped her shoulder, loving how it made her laugh. She ruffled his hair and went to leave his room, only to give him a look over her shoulder.

"Now we can go on double dates," she sang and slammed the door before Eren could scream in agony.

* * *

xXx

* * *

Three weeks had passed and Eren felt all the joys of going on double dates. The joys including bickering with Jean and getting silent treatment _because_ of bickering with Jean; sometimes from Mikasa because, well, Jean was _her_ stupid boyfriend, and sometimes from Annie because it ruined her evening.

And no one ever asked _him_ how he liked his date evenings!

Preferably Jean-free, thank you very much.

Actually, the only _two _times it was okay were when Petra and Levi had joined them for drinks after the dance classes. The instructors kinda 'broke' the date atmosphere and it felt better – more natural. And Eren had more people to focus on and talk to, making it possible to completely ignore Jean.

Also, what didn't help him lately was the fact that he had so much work to do for his classes that it nearly made him cry. He had an ancient Egypt assignment to do; an essay on Alexander the Great to write _and_ he had to study about all of the early civilizations.

Eren groaned, sitting back against his chair and stretching his arms above his head. He'd been sitting there for hours, switching between writing the essay and studying for the prelims.

Way to spend a Saturday...

He didn't even go out on Friday night because of the amount of informations he had to cram into his brain, only informing Annie and Mikasa that he was staying home an hour before the opening time. Boy, they were pissed.

And now, he began reading the same paragraph in his textbook for the fifth time. Time to call it a day, it seemed. Remembering how fun it was to hang out with Levi (even though he couldn't even think about pizza without feeling nauseous for a week after that evening), Eren decided to ask him if he was up for some company.

"_Wanna hang out tonight?_" He typed in 'WhatsApp' messenger and then busied himself with closing his textbook and stacking the loose papers to the corner of his desk. His smartphone bleeped after only a minute or so.

"_I don't even know if this message is for me,_" Levi's text said, making Eren snort. The man was _still_ teasing him about the last time.

"_Hey LEVI, wanna hang out tonight?_" Eren pressed 'send' and stared at the screen which informed him that Levi was typing an answer.

"_Sure. Wanna come to my place?_"

"_On my way,_" Eren replied and stood up from his desk to get dressed.

* * *

xXx

* * *

The cold November wind left him shivering in front of Levi's building. Once the older man had buzzed him in, Eren practically ran to the third floor, appearing at Levi's apartment door just as they were opened.

"So eager to see me?" Levi said instead of a 'hello'.

"Freezing, let me in," Eren gasped, ignoring the teasing words. He quickly toed off his shoes and then stood there by the door, reluctant to take his jacket off yet.

"Wow," Levi murmured. "Good thing I didn't have to go out..."

"B-bastard. That's why you invited me, isn't it?" Eren blew into his clasped hands, goose bumps rising on his back from the change of temperature.

"I went grocery shopping earlier today, so I knew how it was. I'm guessing you've been cooped up at home all these days studying..." Levi helped him take his jacket off and hung it in the closet. He took a pair of blue guest slippers and put them on the floor in front of Eren.

"Seriously?" Eren blinked. "I haven't worn slippers since I was a kid!"

"Your problem," Levi shrugged. "They'll warm you up quicker than if you run around only in your socks."

"Fine, _mom_," Eren grumbled and stepped into the soft velvet. They were a bit too small for him (no wonder) but he had to admit that his toes felt instantly better.

"Ooh, don't make me start mothering you," Levi scanned him head-to-toes. "You need a haircut, you forgot a smudge of toothpaste where you cut yourself shaving..." He sniffed. "You wore this shirt while your mother cooked something with onions... And don't even think about sitting in my kitchen before you wash your hands."

Eren wanted to whine out loud.

"I'll make us tea," Levi informed, shooing him off to the bathroom.

Eren wasn't much of a tea lover, but the mere thought of a hot and sweet infusion sliding into his stomach managed to warm him up a bit. As he washed his hands with a fancy, creamy almond oil liquid soap (Levi was such a princess about his hygiene products), Eren sauntered back to the kitchen and living area, hopping onto a bar stool and watched Levi working around his stove across the kitchen island.

"Soooo, whatcha makin'," Eren drawled, leaning over the smooth surface.

Levi turned and raised an eyebrow at him, smirking. "I see you're in a good mood. Must be the slippers," he chuckled and leaned back against the stove while waiting for the water to boil.

"Must be," Eren smiled. "Nah, seriously, I've had it up to here with papers and studying," he made the gesture to his forehead, just for good measure. "It's good to be away for a while."

"How come you didn't meet up with Annie, you know, your _girlfriend_?" Levi teased.

Eren snorted. He'd be lucky to see her in the next ten days or so. "I wanted to, but she's got a paper due on Monday and told me there was no way she's leaving her house now... It's just that..."

"What?" Levi eyed him while checking the water.

"Nothing," he shook his head. Why bother Levi with his crap?

"Spit it out. You began talking, so it must be something important to you."

"I don't know. It's not like before. She's always pissed at me. And I hardly get any time alone with her anymore. We're either with Mikasa, or with Mikasa _and_ Jean, and god, I can't stand that guy so we always end up arguing and the girls get angry."

"I noticed," Levi gave a good-natured smirk, placing two big mugs on the countertop, along with a small bowl of sugar. "But as much as you can't stand him, your sister seems to be really happy with him."

"I know," Eren sighed. It was true. They were perfect together and he wished he and Annie were like that. Maybe they were at the beginning, but it all seemed like a faraway dream right now.

"You're with Annie for how long?"

"It'll be five months now... I was so happy, you know," he began. It was somehow easy to talk to Levi about it. He couldn't tell those things to Mikasa because she was a 'double agent' in his and Annie's relationship. Armin was out of the question too, because he, Eren and Mikasa made a trio since they were kids, and everything that was told to one of them was as good as told to the other two.

"I've been crushing on her for two years in high school. She was always so badass, she was on the girls' wrestling team. The tiniest of them all and kicked ass the most. And this summer, we just kinda... got together." Eren fidgeted and felt his face flush. "She was, uh, my first."

Half expecting Levi to ridicule him, he blinked up and saw the older man smiling softly.

"What."

"High school sweethearts."

"Shut up," Eren huffed.

"So what changed," Levi asked with genuine curiosity.

"I don't know... She was never a typical lovey-dovey girl and I thought it was cool at first. She wasn't clingy and all that crap. But I gotta admit, maybe... I'd want her to be closer to me. I wanna be there for her, but it looks like she never needs me. Except for the dance school," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, don't diss the dance school," Levi warned with a mock glare. "But I think I get what you mean."

"Yeah, so..." What to say? Lately, he felt like Annie was tolerating him.

"Hey..." Levi murmured, pouring the steaming water into the mugs. "It's none of my business, but... How are the... other aspects of your relationship?"

Eren stared at the teabags floating in the mugs. "Other aspects? Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, good, I guess?" Not that he had anything to compare with. Annie wasn't exactly a screamer in bed, but Eren never thought their sex was lame. He always made sure she came, this way or that. It was normal. Okay. Good?

"You guess?"

"It's not like I have anything to compare it with, you know?" Eren responded, somewhat irritated. "Except for my hand," he added as an afterthought, making Levi snort which in turn made him laugh too.

"In that case, it's awesome," he snickered, blushing but not giving a damn.

"Well in that case," Levi chuckled and cleared his throat, "if the physical stuff is awesome, you should talk to her about the emotional stuff."

"Yeah, and what do I say?"

"Tell her what you told me," Levi shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

Eren groaned. Yeah, it's that easy, Mr. Relationship Adviser.

His focus was turned to the steaming mug in front of him. "Oh wow, it smells like... Smells like..."

"Apple strudel?" Levi offered with a knowing smirk.

"Yes! Oh my god, what tea is this?!"

Levi laughed and placed a dark packet filled with teabags on the countertop. "Black chai, blended with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves," he recited, as if filming a commercial. "You can take this home, I have a whole stash."

"Great! Thanks!"

"No problem."

"Say, Levi?"

"Mm?" The older man hummed while stirring his tea and adding some sugar.

"Can I ask about... You and Erwin?"

He'd been itching to ask about it ever since that evening when he'd met the blond man. To be honest, he was curious about how Levi managed to stay friends with his ex. And to be more honest, Eren wondered how a relationship between two guys worked. Since he'd shared his issues with Annie, maybe it was now okay to ask Levi about his relationship.

"What about me and Erwin?"

"Well, I dunno... Why did you split up? And how can you be friends?"

Levi sighed. It wasn't a bad sigh, Eren could tell, but it looked like there was _a lot_ to talk about Levi and Erwin.

"I've met him when I started high school and we've been hanging out ever since. He's two years older than me, but we didn't fall out of touch once he graduated and went to university." Levi took a sip of his tea and glanced at Eren.

"I was pining over him the whole time, of course," he laughed a bit. "But I was a coward about coming out _and_ about confessing to him. Everything kinda turned when I started with university. I told Petra I'm gay and then felt brave enough to let others know too. When I told Erwin, he um... He told me he knew all the time. And he knew I was into him, but he wanted me to figure myself out before anything."

"Wow, he's an insightful guy, huh?" Eren chuckled.

"It's scary sometimes," Levi agreed and continued. "So, we got involved. He was also my first," he smirked at Eren. "And it went perfectly fine for a few years. Then, we just... We just kinda drifted apart. We've never cheated on each other, but it wasn't the same as before. He was all 'work-work-work' and after I graduated from university, I've gotten even more dedicated to dancing. Sometimes we wouldn't see each other for weeks because he was always at work and I was either practicing or giving lessons, and one of us would always be too tired to meet up."

Eren saw that the story was making Levi sad, but he felt it would be disrespectful to interrupt him now.

"I began to resent him for working all the time, and he berated me for taking dancing so seriously... There have been a few ugly arguments and after some time, we both realized it was over. It had to be over before we ended up hating each other. We were friends for four years before we got together and that was something neither one of us wanted to lose."

Okay, now even Eren was getting sad. "I'm sorry," he murmured, uncomfortable for asking about it.

"It's okay," Levi sighed. "So, we just agreed to stop treating each other as if we're together and move on... It was sad and weird at first, but hey, I kept a great friend. So it's good," he smiled.

"Well, I'm glad then," Eren nodded, playing with his mug.

"Though, he still works too much," Levi grumbled.

"And you're still glued to your dance school," Eren countered with a teasing smile.

"True..."

"So are you seeing someone now?"

Levi snorted and waved him off. "I might as well be seeing you, because you're the only guy I hung out with for the past month or so."

"Would you be interested in me," Eren waggled his eyebrows, barely keeping from laughing out loud. The mood between them was light and teasing, and he finally felt relaxed enough to tease Levi about his sexuality.

"Pssh, in your dreams," Levi barked a laugh.

"What! Look at me! I'm a fine piece of ass!"

Levi stared at him. "You really think you'd have a shot with me, don't you?"

"Of course I would!" Eren finally laughed.

"You wish!"

Eren made a serious face. "I'd sing a serenade for you."

"I'd drop a bucket of cold water on you."

"I'd howl at the moon."

Levi raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I'd call Animal Control."

"I'd climb up your balcony to steal a kiss," Eren was now red from giggling, he knew it.

"Good luck with that one, since I don't have a balcony."

"Oh my god, you're impossible!"

"Me?!" Levi laughed. "You're the one trying to get in my pants! And you're not even bi!"

"Figuratively," Eren corrected, holding his stomach. He hadn't laughed so hard in weeks.

"I'll literally kick your ass," Levi reached over the countertop and ruffled his hair. "Brat."

"What did you put in this tea," Eren asked, still snickering. It was ridiculous, really.

"Nothing. You're crazy on your own."

"Oh ha-ha!"

Levi shook his head slowly. "Speaking of crazy, are you up for Titan's pizza again?" The evil smirk was back.

"No! No way, eugh... I've been traumatized by that pizza for all the eternity."

"Mhm, I'll ask again in a week, after the dance practice. Okay, then, I'll make popcorn and then we're gonna cram some culture in that useless brain of yours."

"What?"

"We're going to watch a real classic tonight. You're studying history so you might be interested in American Civil War."

* * *

xXx

* * *

So, Eren spent the evening on Levi's sofa (with Levi's legs somehow ending up stretched across his lap – he didn't really care, it was warm), munching on homemade butter-drenched popcorn, watching the whole 238 minutes of "_Gone with the Wind_".

... And Levi kept pestering him until he caved and admitted that he loved the movie.

What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

xXx

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
